Trials and Tribulations of a Minecrafter
by The Dragon's Claw
Summary: Follow Flint Ryder as he leaves his town of Shale and his sad past to make his own future in the land of Minecraftia.


**Trials and Tribulations of a Minecrafter**

_Chapter 1- Goodbye_

"Axe, Pickaxe, shovel, and sword," I said to myself. "Check. All them stone, check. Enough blocks to make a small shelter, check. A bed for sleeping, check. A crafting table and furnace, check. Food supplies to last me for weeks, check. The crafting guide, emerald and journal my friends gave me, check. Clothes on back as well as extra warm ones in inventory, check. Well that's everything."

Ok, if you are wondering why I'm checking off stuff, I'm leaving. I'm leaving my town of Shale. Don't get me wrong. I'm going to miss the mining town, but It was rapidly becoming a place of pain memories. My eighteen birthday was a couple of days ago and I was at the age where I can leave and travel on my own. This was something I planned years ago.

If you want to understand my reasons for leaving, then you first need to know who I am, who my family was, and how I lived. I am Flint Ryder, youngest son of the former Steam Ryder and Roslyn Ryder. Yes, you heard, former. I had two older brothers named Oaker Ryder and Steel Ryder. I also had an uncle named Lea Picker and grandparents named Sylvester and Annabella Picker. They, as you came see, were from my mother's side.

We all were born and lived in the mining town of Shale, well except my dad who was a traveler turned miner after meeting mom. My dad, Steam Ryder, was an energetic, charismatic, and sometimes, reckless man, but he was loving and caring father. He would tell me and my brothers wild stories of his travels, some I found later were likely exaggerated. My mom, Roslyn Ryder, smart, sweet, and caring, woman, but I swear to Notch do NOT get her angry. She would literally enchant a stick with Knockback V and probably send you to the Aether if she had the strength.

Then there were My older brothers, Oaker and Steel. Oaker was always restless and impatient guy. As much he loved us and the town, he wanted to travel like our father and see the world. Steel was however smart and mechanically inclined. He loved building things and was interested in anything redstone-related. He would have one day travel to Tekkit City and learned how to build machines there.

My grandparents, Sylvester and Annabella Picker, were respected individuals in town and well-liked. My grandpa Sylvester, or Sly, during his early years saved the town from collapse when the mine turned empty there. He saved the town by finding a huge underground ravine full resources. However, due to a mining accident, he was handicapped for life and became a merchant. He earned the nickname Sly because of his silver tongue in his business. Grandma Annabella came from one of the families who founded Shale. She is sometimes jokingly called Lady Annabella by the town, but she didn't mine. She was as caring and loving as mother was and just as angry. The thought of angering both my mom and grandma still shivers down my spin.

Then there was uncle Lea. He and my dad had similar personalities although he had some of Grandpa Sly's sliver tongue. Because of this, he and my dad got into arguments, which lead to brawls, but later they would make up and be buddies again. As a young kid, I found that strange until I made own friends. Uncle Lea was also the biggest flirt around town. With his silver tongue, he could have coaxed any woman into bed. Thankfully, he was smart enough to stick to single women. I hoped he stayed that way.

Lastly there is me, Flint. I was ever curious kid, which lead to trouble more times than I could think of. I loved seeing what Grandpa Sly had in his store or what traveling merchant had when one came to town. I sometimes messed around a crafting table to what things I could craft. Also, I had a thing for caring for people and animals. Some people thought I wanted a doctor or a farmer, maybe even an craft artisan. But in all truth, I didn't know what wanted to be and I still don't.

Again we all lived in Shale and had hard but happy lives. The reason for leaving starts with the death of my grandparents at age eight. It was understandable. They were old and it was there time, I guess. I remembered the whole town was at their funeral because the town felt like it lost a part of its self when they died. I sort of felt the same way about their deaths but we all moved on.

Then when I was thirteen years old, my father and two older brothers died during creeper infestation. I remember crying for hours because it was only a few days until Oaker's eighteen birthday. He was all prepared to leave on his birthday, and I had brought a stone sword as parting gift for him.

Two years later, I was old enough to work in the mine when my uncle just left me and my mom. I knew he and dad were great friends but after my dad's, Uncle Lea changed. He still helped provide for me and Mom, but slowly he became more reckless than ever. He would come home drunk sometimes and would flirt with any woman he had his eyes, even married ones! I later found the reason why left. He was sleeping with some of the married women! And boy, their husbands were not happy when they found out. And when I found out, I felt betrayed and disgusted. I remembered saying something like, "May Herobrine forever grief the bastard's soul!" in my current emotional state.

But the one thing that made me want to the most happened a year later. Sickness struck the town and my mom was one of its victims. No mattered how hard tried taking care of her, she died. She simply lost the will to live after all that has happened. I stayed in my house for at least week mourning my mom's death. I just wanted to run, run far way, but I knew couldn't. I needed to leave, so I worked the mines and odd jobs to buy and gather supplies for travel. When my eighteen birthday came, my friends knew I want so they gave me a crafting guide, an emerald, and a journal to chronicle my travels in, and the town even had a going away party for me. I smiled at their understanding.

Now here I am at the graves of my family. I said my goodbyes to the townspeople and I am here to say my last goodbyes. I start with my grandpa.

"Grandpa Sly, for all the trouble I caused at your store with my curiosity, you still forgave me." I begin. "I still remember you swindling fourteen emeralds out of that traveling Testificate merchant." Then I move to my grandma.

"Grandma Bella, I'll always remember your kindness toward me and others. You held no animosity and even went the "Lady Annabella" joke." Then dad.

"Dad, I will always remember the stories of your travels even though I know now that some of them were exaggerated. Really you died from a creeper explosion when you survived in a creeper infested underground cavern with nothing but a stick." Tears are steaming down my face as I chuckle a bit. Then I moved to my brothers.

"Well Oaker, I guess I'm taking the path you would have took if that damn creeper didn't kill you. You were always getting into trouble for going out of the town to explore. Steel, you would have made a great engineer for Tekkit City with your smarts. If I ever visit the place, I would buy Jaffa and send it here to be place on your grave." My face is now wet with all tears as I move to mom.

"Mom," I pause. I want to say something but the words just disappear as they pass through my mind. But I find something. "Mom, you were always there for me. Though the deaths of our family, you strengthen me to move on even at the cost of your strength. If you hadn't died, I probably would have stayed here and became doctor, a farmer, or even craft artisan like the people suggested. I guess won't happen now." I step back and look at the graves. "Now I say on last goodbye to you all. Goodbye, may we meet again in the next life."

With that all said, I walk away. As I walk, I think back to the town and its people. They were always kind to each and helped me and my family as we went thought our time of sadness. I remember them consoling me after my mom's death. I gonna miss that town. May Notch bless them and may Notch bless me as entered into his unknown world of Minecraftia.


End file.
